Eczema, which refers to a set of chronic skin conditions such as itchy, inflamed patches of skin, is something millions of people have to deal with every single day (including my husband and daughter). Some people are good at figuring out the root cause of their eczema and cutting out any offending food categories or other products to bring relief. This is honestly something we’ve considered for my husband. Who knows, maybe if he would just cut out dairy it would go away?
But – coming from a family of cheese lovers! – his eczema is honestly not troublesome enough to warrant such a drastic change in diet, even if that were found to be the cause. So we’re left with finding other ways to deal with it when stress or other triggers cause things to flare up and become a nuisance. And the steroid and other medicated creams can only do so much, not to mention the risks of long-term use, such as thinning skin.
So, whether you’re ready to get to the bottom of it or just want to find some natural creams to help, I’m sharing some natural remedies for eczema in today’s post that is brought to you by our new sponsor The Eczema Company!
Want to Save this Recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll get great new recipes from us every week!
–
Natural Remedies for Eczema
“The Eczema Company” was created by a mom whose son battled severe eczema. Through years of trial and error, she found a combination of treatments and practices that helped alleviate 95% of his symptoms. And she decided to create The Eczema Company to share the natural eczema treatments that worked for her own son and for many others in hopes of helping children and adults battling similar issues. Her touching story can be found here. In addition, they sent us a few things to try as well as a variety of skin soothing tips you’ll want to check out:
- Find and eliminate triggers
It’s very important to note that since all people are unique, everyone’s skin and triggers are unique as well. And while there are certain triggers that tend to be more common for the majority of people, keep in mind that you need to find your own unique triggers before healing can begin. Dry skin, irritants, allergens, emotional stress, heat and sweating, and infections are a few of the things that can set off eczema. The key to controlling Atopic Dermatitis (the most common type of eczema), or AD, is avoiding or reducing such exposure – once you find the culprit. This is a great reference on triggers. - Elimination Diet
Determining your food triggers through an elimination diet can be more reliable than allergy tests. Sometimes removing a food or two can be the most integrative approach to finding your cure. As mentioned above, this is something we’re considering for my husband. However, sometimes it’s a bit more complex. It becomes about more than just eliminating food but adding to your diet as well. Things like probiotic foods and supplements, omega 3s, and vitamin D can all help bring the body and gut back into balance. - Use gentle, natural skin care and soap products
Many products marketed for eczema contain harsh chemicals and irritants which can trigger flare-ups or further irritate already sensitive skin. You wouldn’t apply these products to an open wound, which is essentially what eczema is, so think twice before applying them to your dermatitis. Instead, opt for a gentle, natural soap, to nourish rather than dry out the skin, and look for simple, natural moisturizers with minimal ingredients. These natural eczema creams and these soothing bath products are both great safe options to protect and heal the skin. - Use scratch mittens or gloves
With eczema, it is nearly impossible not to scratch because it just feels so good. But when you scratch, you create topical inflammation and open up your skin, which can lead to infection and worsening eczema. The trick is to prevent scratching so that you’re one step closer to healing the skin. Try scratch mittens for babies with eczema, gloves for kids, or gloves for adults. Also, check out these distraction techniques to prevent baby scratching for easy, at-home tips to prevent your little one from damaging their skin. - Revisit your laundry routine
Since your clothes lay against your body for almost the whole day, it’s crucial to consider what is in your laundry detergent. Ingredients in detergents, even natural brands, could be triggering an allergic reaction in the form of eczema. In addition, detergents are very alkaline and can be damaging to our fragile skin, which needs more acidic or pH balanced products. A better option is to move away from all “detergents” and look for alternative laundry products like soap nuts or mineral based solutions like the SmartKlean laundry ball. - Wet wrapping
Wet wrap therapy consists of soaking and sealing the skin. It’s used in moderate to severe cases, and it can provide great results in a short amount of time. To learn more, read about Jennifer’s experience with it here.
Products We Tried
- Natural Skin Cream (pictured)
Our favorite eczema remedy we tried on my daughter was the Organic Manuka Skin Soothing Cream by YoRo Naturals. It totally did what regular lotion could not for her little patch of dry and irritated skin on her hand! It completely cleared up after just a few times of using it. The magic ingredients? Manuka honey and Manuka oil. Read more about why it’s so beneficial to use Manuka honey for eczema.
- Gloves
My husband also tried applying this Hot Skin Soother for red eczema and wearing gloves overtop while sleeping to help with inflamed eczema on his hands. This treatment was effective in deeply moisturizing his dry skin, but he had trouble staying asleep with the gloves on and he’d remove them when he woke up during the night. I’d say this is one that might take a little getting used to – it’s a bit of mind over matter. But it definitely has potential according to the reviews I’ve read and is worth a try since keeping hands covered during the night doesn’t seem to bother the majority of people.
Organic Manuka Honey Skin Soothing Cream Testimonials
Here’s what some others are saying about the Organic Manuka Honey Skin Soothing Cream we really liked:
- “I bought this cream to apply to the back of my son’s ears where he has itchy, red eczema. I expected to see results in about a week. It only took two days, and his ears NEVER looked better (except the day he was born).” – Desiree
- “My husband and I practically argue about who gets to use this stuff. We love it that much! The moisturizing qualities are OFF THE CHARTS and it can do wonders for your dry eczema patches. Definitely give this stuff a shot!” – The Allergista
- “My daughter loves this cream so much that she keeps it by her bed! It’s an amazing all-around product: for dryness, itchiness, red patches..you name it. We are definitely converts!” – Tinka
I hope some of these ideas help, and if you have any to add – please share with us in the comments!
Foderma serum is the only one that actually helps with my sons baby eczema. It was recommended to me by our Pediatrician. I tried three other big names and this was the best!
Hi, my daughter suffers from extreme eczema and psoriasis… the only thing that worked was the elimination diet and rebuilding her gut health. She was only 2.5 years old when we started she is now 6 and is back to eating most foods except dairy and gluten. No creams or lotions or anything else worked, but this for us.
My husband had severe psoriasis and cut wheat out of his diet. This pretty much cured it. I also quit eating wheat as it was just easier to cook for the two of us. My skin also so an improvement.
This truly is an issue that needs to be worked on from the inside out and working with a functional medicine provider to get to the root cause including food sensitivities, gut infections, bacterial imbalances or dysbiosis, nutrient deficiencies etc is the only true long lasting solution. Our bodies give us warning signs that something is off and this is definitely something that should be addressed from a root cause approach. Check out information by Trevor Cates at the spadr.com. Her new book is clean skin from within. Good luck!
I have recently developed eczema on my eyelids! I have had allergic skin reactions on and off throughout my fifty years on this planet but never eczema. I am convinced it’s related to my menopausal symptoms but all Drs refuse to accept this and yet cannot explain the sudden onset and unique placement! I can’t put anything much on it as the lotion runs into my eyes! Miserable.
Thank you.
Anybody have any ideas for psoriasis in a child?
Hi there. Have you identified possible food triggers?
I’ve tried gluten free, dairy free, sugar free and cutting out processed foods as much as possible.
Any improvement with the elimination of foods? The Emily soothers and Manuka Honey have worked well on my son’s scaley hands but he does not have psoriasis.
When I had a minor bout of eczema last year, my mom (a nurse practitioner) told me to apply the lotion I was using after the shower while I was still wet and to let my skin air dry. She said rubbing with towels can irritate the rash. It was a cold process (since this was in the winter!) but it did work for me.
Also, she told me to take allergy medicine since it is a type of allergic reaction (although mine was an acute case so I’m not sure if that would be different for chronic eczema – certainly ask your doctor). My brother had eczema as a kid so I know my mom has experience, as both a mother and a nurse, in trying to figure out what works.
We found relief with eliminating dairy and an amazing probiotic called probio5. No flare ups in 1 year and saw great results within 2 weeks!
My children and I suffer from eczema year round, and I also suffer from seborrheic dermatitis on my scalp. Any remedies for the SD you can recommend? We are in the process of trying to only use natural products in our household, so hopefully symptoms will reduce once we’ve made the change.
I use goat’s milk soap to wash with. Then CeraVe after bath. When it begins to itch I spray Ivy Dry and it stops itching so it can heal.
This is stuff I can use on my scalp? I have used Versace lotion but wouldn’t think I could put that on my scalp without my hair looking greasy…
Ha autocorrect changed Cerave to Versace
It’s not a natural product, per se, but we’ve had good results for my son with Rodan and Fields Soothe line. Works way better than the cortisone and Aquaphor our pediatrician suggests. I may look into these other treatments, though!
I second this!! I actually became an RF consultant because of how well the Soothe line works for eczema. :-)
Years ago I had a friend for whom Psoriaflora (Boericke & Tafel Psoriaflora Topical Cream – 1 oz ) worked very well.
Serving Size: Cream Amount/Serving %DV
Berberis aquifolium tincture 10%
Psoriasis, dryness,
flaking, itching,
scaling and redness††
OTHER INGREDIENTS
benzyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, glycol stearate, isopropyl myristate, mineral oil, potassium hydroxide, purified water, stearyl heptanoate.
Love the idea of trying these natural remedies – I suffer from eczema so will be interested to see how these turn out. x
Izzy